Paint thinner is not a moisturizer

So I've been doing home repair and upgrades for the better part of a year now, and really kicking it up a notch for the past two months.  No sleep, no real healthy nutrition, and I use the treadmill as an expensive coat rack.  Why I post this on the BJD site instead of crying about it on the other blog is because my cat was playing with Nena and Jakob (without my permission), and I had to look up their names before I could type that sentence.  That's how long it's been.  BJD adoption is an expensive hobby and I just let them sit, untouched my human/other hands for over a year....

Soul crushing guilt aside, my friend is buying a wig for my bald-headed Jakob and I will try again.  I am apparently way better at boy doll clothes than girl doll clothes, so hopefully we will see some pictorial awesomeness soon.

New Hobby Shatters Remains of Student's Free Time

Okay, new topic, so new blog.  Approximately one month ago, my supposed friend gave me a free-time succubus in the form of a ball-jointed resin doll.  She's a Fairyland Minifee, Active Line, with a sleeping Miyu head.  What that apparently means (from research), is that the doll appears asleep unless you carve the eyes out, like she had done.  I made them slightly bigger and sanded away the seams, but there always seems to be something else to do.....

From that day I brought her home to now, she has been unstrung, cleaned, soaked (chronologically) in tea tree oil, non-acetone polish remover, Oxy-Clean, Windsor & Newton brush cleaner, and warm water, and very messily body-blushed with chalk pastel powder until she looked somewhat like my "vision" for her.  I did the face-up myself two nights ago (in pastel and watercolor pencil), around 1:30 AM, which is why she looks like a cartoon character (in my opinion).

Anyway, the point of this post, aside from putting the ramble into context, is to say that I never learned to restring this doll.  She's beautiful, with realistic shading on her elbows, knees and inner thigh areas, but no one can actually understand why some pieces are darker than others until she's put back together.  I have high hopes that someone at today's doll meet can explain what I did wrong and put me on the right path for this step, because until then, I can't even put up her photos (she's a head surrounded by lady parts... ).

Sigh.  I hope that  I learn how to be a "real" doll collector, not such a n00b, soon.  Next step, restringing!

edit: completed!!!